Flies...

[lucyjames]

Afternoon All,

Well I came home today, and checked on the snails ready for their semi-cleanout - and for another year, I have those annoying little flies...

This was a problem for me last year, and cost me an absolute fortune in substrates and cleaning out...

Is there anything I can do to avoid them....? Use citronella or something?

They are such a pain!!!

[Snail Lover.]

I have about 2-4 in my tank everytime i look in, i guess they get through the airholes, what i do is open the window nearby as far as it will go then open the lid which usually looses a few, but otherwise not a clue on what to do :/.

[Dusk]

Well, you could use the hoover to suck up the flies until they stop coming back Or you could keep your snails without substrate, or with damp aquarium gravel or something, so the flies have nothing to lay eggs in, and then after they've all gone, put substrate back in.

A short-term solution at night is opening the tank and turning one light on, so the flies all go to investigate it.

[Snail Lover.]

Woudlnt the hoover suck up the soil? lol

[lucyjames]

Lol... time to get the dustbuster out then, lol..!!!

Slllurp!

[Dusk]

Hoover them from the air, not the soil - though now I'm picturing a snail pushing a very tiny hoover about his home, neatening it up

[ness]

Hypoaspis Miles mites are a predatory mite that is generally sold as an organic method of sciarid fly control. Sciarid flies are otherwise known as fungus gnats, their maggots like to live in snail soil and they eat spoiled food. They may also eat tiny seedlings (for those of us who grow plants from seed indoors).
These mites will eat other tiny pests too, including harmful snail mites.

Anyway - long waffle short - a tub of hypoaspis miles mites (harmless to snails and any insect pets of a reasonably large size, other pets and humans) should help to sort your fly problem out.

[lucyjames]

I have considered Hypoaspis Miles before... I may just have to do that...

[Bumblebee]

i been thinking a bit...wouldnt those venus flytap flower be a solution against those kinds of things, and having them inside the tank? or are they poisonous for snails? =7

[birdie]

I think that are just the annoying little flies i got...they just need wet dump to lay their eggs. I don't have soil anymore but bark and moss. I also bought insectnet. I keep 2 layers so they can't get in anyway. For now it seems working. I kept the soil anyway, i'm letting it dry in the basement. It will kill eggs and remaining flies

[coyote]

Are these flies fruit flies or fungus gnats? Will the Hypoaspis mites work on both of them?

[vicki]

I got Gary today and he is infested with little flies .............. they came flying out of his little shell (the spiral bit) and they were everywere- What can i do? I've cleared the whole tank out with boiling water, new substrate and hes had a bath, ive put him back in his tank and i still see a few flying around ....... will they hurt him alot? Ive never had this problem with mine before so im clueless but so worried!!!!!!!!!!!!



Inside of putting his tank lid on, i'd put a pair of tights over the top so no more get in (theres some on the outside of his tank trying to get in) and ive killed all the ones inside, will this solve it? ..... would anyone recommend a full clean out again next weekend until they are totally gone??

please please please help!! x

[lucyjames]

Poor Gary... I've never known this to happen before, but now I'm worried in case it happens to mine, since there are flies in their homes...

I think it will be a mix of bathing, obsessive cleaning, and introduction of the predator mites (hypoaspis miles) to clear them up...

I hope Gary feels better soon....

[vicki]

Hes asleep at the moment, i havent spotted any for a few hours now since i put the old pair of tights over the top instead of the other lid with big air holes in ..... does anyone know if 1) he can get air through the tights? and 2) is there a kind of mesh that i can put over as a permanant thing for him?

[coyote]

I think tights will let enough air in, but I've never tried it myself.

You need to consider if the flies have laid eggs in the tank. The boiling water should have taken care of any in the tank if it got into every corner and crevice, but any flies in the tank after the clean-out may very well lay more eggs.

[birdie]

why don't you buy bugsnet?

[vicki]

When i cleaned the tank, i did scrub and scrub as much as i could, i havent seen any in their at all today and for the first time in ages hes now burried himself (when he came his substrate was too compressed down to bury in and soden)

Hes so lovely

[Snail Lover.]

I can't clean out my tank with warm water or move it, its very heavy and its glass i can move it a little like from one bit in my room to another but i can't wash it out and everything because its very heavy, but i might just have too i think ill do it today because i go away wednesday and i need the tank to be as clean and bug free as it can.

[morningcoffee]

Jasmine - I also have a big heavy tank that can't be easily moved. When I need to clean it thoroughly, I take everything out of it and bring in a bucket of hot / warm water. I pour some water into the tank and use it to scrub down the whole tank thoroughly. When I'm done, I scoop the water back out with a large tub, and use cloths or kitchen towel to mop up the remainder.
Put some newspaper or towels around the tank while doing this, as chances are there will be some splashing

[Rachel]

fly paper hung above the tank, leave the lid off for a bit and all the little blighters'll get stuck.

[amber]

At this time of year when the flies become a nightmare pest of evil, when i have cleaned out one o fthe tanks, i put a small amount of the substrate in a small tub (Size of small margarine tub) with a hole in the lid onto the surface that the snail tank is on, or nearby, with a piece of sliced fruit in. It works as a distraction, they go in there because the soil is more suited to them (Dirtier and with fruit in) and they mostly leave the tank alone. Each time you clean the snail s out, throw that tub away and put a new tub there. And tights are fine, plenty of air will get through for your snails however, small annoying fruit flies and other small flies, can breed through this type of thin mesh...... I use fruit flies as food for my mantis. I buy cultures of non flying ones and when they have mesh over the top, within days they have bred with other flying types through the mesh and opening the tub is pretty tricky to say the least. So if they aren't all totally gone from the tank, there will be plenty there shortly despite having it covered with tights. I use hypoaspis for mites but haven't noticed they do anything to control the flies. Just determination and vigilence.

[vicki]

Thanks Amber, thats a real help!!! Its amazing about the breeding through tights- little horrors!

Touch wood....... ive got rid of all the flies from the tank, soil and Gary for now! although im guessing they will come and go during the summer!!!!!!!! My other tanks have never (touch wood again) have never had flies or anything like it in their tank, maybe ive been too lucky!!!!!

I'm just now struggling with getting Gary to eat anything really, for his giant size, he barely eats anything, is this normal as he isnt growing much and doesnt need as much as he used to or is it a slight problem in the making?